Have gun permit, will lobby

Published 5:45 pm, Wednesday, June 2, 2010

AUSTIN — To avoid getting delayed behind noisy school kids waiting in line to pass through new metal detectors at the state Capitol, lobbyists are signing up for concealed handgun permits exempting them from the security checkpoints.

The only persons exempted are lawmakers, properly identified state employees or Texans who carry a pistol with a concealed handgun license — or just the license itself, which allows them to bypass the security lines for an express lane reserved for “CHL: Holders.”

“Every lobbyist in Texas is going to become a card-carrying member or a gun-carrying member,” lobbyist and former state lawmaker Pat Haggerty said. “We're going to have more damn guns in here than we know what to do with.

“And there are some lobbyists I don't know whether I'd trust — or trust myself if they're around,” added Haggerty, a Republican who represented El Paso for 20 years. “It would certainly be a good way to do away with the competition.”

The changes to the traditionally wide-open building came as a result of a lone gunman firing shots from its south steps earlier this year after visiting a state senator's office.

More than 1,400 lobbyists currently are registered with the Texas Ethics Commission. Many enter and exit the Capitol multiple times during the course of a day, particularly when the Legislature meets.

“Not that I have anything against school children, but when you need to be at the Capitol, you need to be at the Capitol. You don't need to be standing in the line. It's hard enough to get people to talk to you, and they're not going to talk to you if you are standing in line with a bunch of kids,” said Bill Miller, a veteran lobbyist who arranged for some of his office colleagues to take an all-day training class for certification to carry a concealed handgun.

It costs $140 plus a $2 handling fee for a license and around $100 for the class.

Miller speculated most Texas lobbyists will get a concealed handgun permit.

“Nobody I know is getting it for purposes of a gun. They are getting it strictly for purposes of expediency,” he said.

Texans licensed to carry concealed handguns don't have to pass through Capitol security because they have been “trained, vetted and passed a criminal background check and are legally authorized by state law to carry a concealed weapon,” DPS spokeswoman Tele Mange said. “There are no limitations on occupation as long as an individual meets the state requirements and pays for the license.”

Lobbyist Rick Sookiasian predicted “a lot of lobby-only classes” for the handgun permits. He expects legislative leaders will make changes before the next legislative session starts in January to accommodate frequent visitors, such as lobbyists.

“We're not even visitors. This is where we do our business,” Sookiasian said.

But he's not going to wait for any accommodations. He plans to get certified for a concealed handgun license in the coming weeks — “and I don't even own a gun,” he said.